 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Monkey Tales: The Abbey of Aviath
- Windows, Mac
- Price: $14.95
- Genre: Edutainment
Common Sense Media says
Adventure game uses 4th grade math in fun mini-games.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Monkey Tales: The Abbey of Aviath is the 4th in the series of edutainment games from Europe that has been redesigned for the US to follow both the Common Core Standards as well as the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) standards. The game is not meant to instruct but to reinforce 4th grade math lessons learned in school in a fun and challenging manner. The game has some slight violence when kids misjudge and get zapped by a laser. Their character, while fried to dust, immediately reforms at the last save spot.
What's it about?
An abbey has appeared overnight and an evil witch has taken up residence in it. Using her powers, she is draining the world of knowledge. Kids will have to investigate the abbey, avoiding all the traps the witch has laid in the various rooms and gardens to eventually reach her hide-out and defeat her -- all with logic and math!
Is it any good?
Monkey Tales: The Abbey of Aviath is an action-adventure game that has kids solving logic puzzles and completing math mini-games to rescue monkeys. Instead of doing boring math equations on paper, kids get to blast answer and steer spaceships. Their very life may be dependent on answering a question correctly so they know which tile to step on as they cross a tricky puzzle bridge. Logic puzzles include jumping on moving platforms to get where they need to go while avoiding laser traps, using mirrors to deflect lasers, or placing objects to block the lasers. Blocks may also have to be moved to open up a path or create a path over which to walk.
This game is unique because it uses a software algorithm that gages the player's math level as they play the game and adjusts each mini-game accordingly to the math skill. That way kids progress smoothly and are presented harder mini-games suited to their level at each chapter of the story instead of being presented puzzles which they cannot beat.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the math mini-games. Is this what you've learned in school? Are you doing more because you want to get further in the game?
Families can also talk about logic and strategy. Does it help to get an overhead view of the entire map? Do you prefer to think about the puzzle a while before attempting it or do you prefer to try and use the re-do button?
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Platforms: | Windows, Mac |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Edutainment |
| Developer: | Monkey Tales Games |
| Release date: | November 7, 2011 |
| Price: | $14.95 |
| ESRB rating: | NR for Not rated |
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